


Colouring Books Are(n't) For Kids

by odinstark



Category: Detroit Evolution (2020)
Genre: Anger Management, Art, Drawing, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Nines is creating colouring books, Slight Angst?, Tina buys Gavin colouring books, based on a twitter dm, but it's only like one line, colouring by numbers, nines would be Annoyingly good at colouring books, ooc proposal fic, they just don't ever solve crime, they're still cops in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odinstark/pseuds/odinstark
Summary: Josh approached Markus, his most creative friend, with the idea of creating a colouring book for the crowds of android children living at Jericho. After Markus' draft designs are deemed too.... Abstract, Nines offers his help as software helps him replicate images with ease, with his own unique artistic twist.Gavin is just happy to try out all his boyfriend's designs. His drawer at work is filled to the brim with stress management colouring books, every page filled in, he needs some diversity to work.
Relationships: Tina Chen & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Josh, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Markus, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83





	Colouring Books Are(n't) For Kids

**Author's Note:**

> me and my friend mariam were talking abt this like 3 days ago in a Gc and I just had to write it, please excuse how ooc it is I just need it

"Whatcha doin' there, Tincan?" Gavin's voice broke through the general bustle of the DPD's bullpen. Nines looked over to his right where he saw the man leaning over the shared desk section between them, with his feet up on the counter, coffee cup in hand. He had an eyebrow raised at the white page with thick-lined, black drawings across it, tucked between datapads and files so that it was obstructed from view from the front and the left.

"I'm drawing." Gavin scoffed at the answer and shook his head.

"I can see that," he kicked his feet down and placed down his half empty mug and leaned further over,

"But why? Don't think I've ever seen you draw before."

"I do it in my free time when I'm at my place, Markus suggested it as a hobby a few months ago..." Nines LED glowed red for a moment before he could stop it, and he subconsciously hid the drawing under his arm, averting his eyes away from Gavin, 

"And Josh asked if I could help with creating a colouring book for the android children who reside at Jericho."

Gavin's hand grabbed his wrist, gently, and moved it off the drawing to look at it again, 

"It's good, I like it. It's very...you."

Nines raised an eyebrow, and Gavin grinned,

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's not what I'd expect to see in a kid's book, that's all. The drawings are good, you just need to adapt what you're drawing into stuff for it's intended audience, and to loosen up on the fine details, because that's for the person colouring in to decide."

Nines blinked several times and his head snapped round to face his boyfriend, and fixed him with an incredulous stare.

"What?" Gavin asked, returning to his coffee.

"Since when were you an expert on...colouring books?"

Gavin laughed and reached down to a desk drawer out of sight. Nines heard the rollers screech under the weight of whatever was contained in the drawer. Gavin gestured for Nines to come round his side of the desk. 

"Since Tina decided to buy me everyone she sees, no matter the date or occasion. Here, take a couple for inspiration," Gavin takes a few hand picked out from the drawer, but after about four, he just picks a stack of 10 so up from the back of the cabinet and deposits them in Nines' awaiting arms.

When Nines returns to his desk, he immediately begins flipping through one. Every page is coloured, in various hues and design choices. _Colour When Stressed_ the title reads. He picks up the next one, which is also full. _Doodle away Anger._

"Gavin, these are already all coloured."

"I never said I didn't use them," the man replied, distracted as he studies the datapad in his hand, avoiding making eye contact after he noticed the next book in Nines' hands.

Nines didn't bring up the fact that _Happiness Hues_ was completely blank.

On the whole, the colouring books Gavin gave him helped him understand what he needed to put in his. Besides all the adult art therapy ones Tina had bought the man, definitely at least seventy percent of them were cheesy little kids ones about dragons and robots and fairytales. Some of the captions Gavin had added to his colourings were certainly.... Colourful, but Nines really only looked to the lineart.

Within a week, he had a draft of five sides that Gavin immediately grabbed once Nines said he had copies, and began colouring them in at his kitchen table, after assuring him that his designs were great, and giving him a kiss on the cheek that left Nines smiling the entire time Gavin coloured in. When he was done, Nines took his favourite one, a page of several different types of cats that Gavin had coloured to look like his own dear pets, and jokingly promised to hang it on his fridge at home as place of honour.

Gavin groaned and swore under his breath, ducking his head in embarrassment, ignoring Nines until the android managed to get under his defences with a soft look and an offer to cuddle on the couch, watching the trashy movies from the 2010's that Gavin openly admitted he hated with all his being, but still rewatched often.

When Nines returned home that night, he tucked the drawing into his favourite book on his shelf before going into stasis.

It progressed and soon Nines had the twenty sides Josh had asked for within two weeks. The children loved it, and they all ran up to Nines, and would have winded him did he need to breath, with the force of their hugs. But Gavin was the first to receive a copy.

Gavin arrived early one morning for once, before most of the office surprisingly, and found it wrapped neatly in red paper, tied with silver string. He didn't even try to contain his smile as he unwrapped it and flipped through the pages. When Gavin finished the entire thing a week later, it made its home in his top drawer, along with his other most treasured items, including his first birthday card from Fowler, not that he would ever admit that.

After the success of his first one, Josh had asked if he could possibly draw a second. And a third. And then he was asking if he could do one aimed more towards adults, so that they could be used in therapy to help androids who had hard times with deviancy, and needed somewhere to vent their anger or fear.

Nines had fun with the next books as he just needed to look at Gavin now to be inspired to draw, especially those catered towards adults. Gavin was particularly fond of the page Nines had stuffed full of coffee cups and old records, and kept his completed copy taped to the back of his closet door.

But now it was approaching his and Gavin's three year anniversary and coincidentally around the same time, two years prior, that he and Gavin had began their shared love of colouring books. And Nines knew exactly what to do.

Gavin groaned as Nines set down three pages in front him,

"Colour by numbers? Really? That takes like... All the fun out it, Nines."

Nines rolled his eyes and turned his back on his boyfriend who was sitting crossed legged on the floor at the left side of his coffee table, with his back pressed against the ottoman.

"I know, but Josh asked for one and I need to test you to make sure all the numbers are correct for what I drew."

"Fine, fine...but you owe me one," Gavin grumbled and picked up the red pencil by his right hand, and picked up his mug with his left.

"Love you too."

"I hate you," Gavin responded but reached out to squeeze Nines' hand as he walked passed to head to the kitchen table.

Nines could barely contain himself from bouncing with artificial nerves. His LED began to glow yellow when Gavin finished the first page. When Gavin finished the second, his thirium pump began to beat fast enough he thought it would rip out from his chest.

When Gavin was half way through the third, Nines left his seat at the table, abandoning the work he hadn't even started. Gavin had turned the drawing upside down to colour the boxes at the top. As Gavin got to the last few boxes, Nines softly fell to the floor on one knee.

When Gavin turned the drawing around to see what he had coloured in, Nines removed a small box from his trouser pocket.

And then Gavin turned around, the page still in hand. 

"Are you serious?" the man asked hurriedly, but his eyes sparkled with tears.

Clutched in his hands, in a mosaic of blues and purples and reds the words **GAVIN WILL YOU MARRY ME?** stood out boldly against the background of greens and yellows.

"I am....Will you marry me, Gavin Reed, and make me the luckiest man on Earth?" Nines asked again as he popped open the case and revealed a simple, but beautiful dark grey silver ring.

"You...fuck yes, of course I will, are you kidding me?" Gavin surged forward and grabbed Nines face in his hands, staring deep into his eyes before kissing him. After they broke apart, Nines slipped the ring onto his boyfriend- _fiancé's_ hand. 

Gavin looked at the hand that had the ring, and then at the one that still clutched the colouring page. 

"The other pages were good but you are not putting this one in your new book, this one is mine," Gavin snarked as he began to smooth out the creases. Nines laughed and reached forward to kiss Gavin again. 

"I wouldn't dream of it."


End file.
